Ice machine



Sept. 5, 1933. R VELUT 1,925,616

ICE MACHINE Filed April 13. 1932 "1 ma g 2l l' j' 1"*/2 f n .If/....f/g5 .21. f,.26 u l "./U//- |kl? f' f" 2, .H m

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Patented Sept. 5, 1933 ICE MACHINE Ren Velut, Paris, France ApplicationApril' 13, 1932, Serial No. 605,023, v and'in France April 20,A 1931 A 7Claims. (Cl. 62-108) The present invention has for its objectimprovements in or to the manufacture of artificial ice. f

Artificial ice is generally made in a large ice tank, containing smallerreservoirs or ice forms 4iilled with the water to be frozen and almostentirely immersed in the non-freezing liquid, such as brine, filling theice tank, which brine is cooled by suitably shaped worms inside whichthe coldproducing liquid is vaporized.

Preferably the brine is given a comparatively great speed so as tosweepV more swiftly-over the walls of the forms. n t n l The devices ofthis type used heretofore show numerous drawbacks, the amount of brineis always considerable and consequently a long time is required foroperating Athe cold producing compressor,` before it is brought Vto thedesired working temperature. v

Moreover by reason of the speed required for the brine with a view toproducing a speedy freezing in the forms, the brine must be propelled bymeansjof screws or of pumps which require aA large amount of power. e n

vThe ice tank must also be luidtight throughout the height of the brine,i. e. in practice alittle over the height of the forms. p

Further, when the water is frozen, the forms must be removed from thebrine upwardly and then after immersed downwardly into another tank inorder to heatthe walls of the forms before removing the ice formed.After this the forms are again removed from the second tank upwardly andset into a substantially horizontal position, in order to allow the'easyremoval of the block of 1ce. Y Y

For executing these operations it is necessary to use either very lightforms or else mechanical liftingrmeans in the usual'case of heavy'formssince it is advantageousto produce large blocks of ice which melt lessduring transportation.

Finally the ice produced according to the above method is opaque anddicult to sell.l For producing transparentice, it is necessary tomechan-n ically agitate the water inside the forms whileit is freezing.q

Good results may be obtained yby blowing air inside the forms, but thismethod is not easily executed with the forms immersed inside the brine.

In fact, as it is necessary for unmoulding to ymaintenance under lowpressure of the agital provide conical or pyramidal shaped blocks, the,lower part of'the'block of ice is frozen before the upper partandas theair must be blown into the lower part of the forms, the movement of theair is stopped before water is completelyv frozen. If the air'wereintroduced through movable blowing pipes, these latter should be removedlong before the Vfreezing is at an end so as ice.

Air is often blown through-pipesvdisposed onv the outside of the formand entering its lower part; the pipe is thus immersed throughout itslength in the brine, which pr'oducesjacondensing of the moisture andthen afterthe freezing thereof, the ice thus produced closing the airpipes whereby the agitation of the water necessary for obtainingtransparent ice is lat an en'd.` l

The object ofthe present invention is a device avoidingV said drawbacksand'providing perfectly transparent ice with a minimum of handicraft.The principal feature of the invention con`- sists in that instead ofimmersing the forms inside an unconge'alable-liquid such as brine, thelatter is caused to stream over the part of the walls of the formsdisposed above the normal level of the brine in the ice tank.

The fact that the forms are not entirely immersed in the brine allowstheir pivoting for removing the blocks of ice round horizontal-axesarranged under their center of gravity thereof which avoids the long andtedious 'operations described hereinabove. Y p

rSuch a device allows an easy blowing oi air since it is suicienttherefor to connect the bottom of the forms with a compressed air`container by lmeans of yielding pipes long enough to allow the forms torotate around a horizontal axis.

My improved device provides the following advantages; the amount ofbrine may be greatly reduced and the height for which the tank must beuidtight maybe limited to that corresponding to the depth of the brinewhichis no more in ycontact with the` entire height of the forms. i

The brine streams from the top of the bottom of the form under theaction of gravityand its supply may be adjusted'in a manner such thatthe top and bottom' of the ice block are frozen substantially in asimultaneous manner.

l The ice block is in factthicker at the top'where it is frozen with thecoldest brine, and less thick at the bottom where it isfrozen withalready warmed up brine., F

My improved method allows therefore the air until the water is comtoavoid their lower par-t being stopped up by the` side of the forms, andconsequently the lowermost portion of the water does not freeze incontradistinction to the freezing devices used theretofore wherein theforms are immersed in the brine.

Furthenthe flexible pipes leading air to the bottom of the` forms may bespaced with reference to the latter enough to prevent the brine fromstreaming too much over them, the condensation and freezing of the airmoisture bein thus avoided. I;

Finally the duct through which the stirring air rarrives during thefreezing process may also serve for removing the liquid water remaining`at the end of the operation in the center of the filling again the formwith water, the apparatus being thus again ready for operation.

Consequently the operations are controlled merely by the actuation ofsome cocks, the tilting of the forms `and the return thereof when empty;this is simple and requires substantially no energy I, havedescribed'hereinbelow, with reference to accompanying drawing and by wayof YeX- ample, a form of execution of the invention.

chine; Y

Fig. 2 is a cross-section showing the arrange- 4 ment of Athe form,streaming device and worms inside the casing of the machine.

v-The apparatus (Fig. 1) is'enclosed inside a casing 1, a great part ofwhich has been broken away in Fig. 1; the lower part of. said casing isfluidtight and forms a brine tank; it contains a worm 2 inside which thecold producing fluid moves. Y

Above the tank are disposed the formsB., 4, 5

shaped Ias frusto-pyramids the cross-sections of which increase as theyare taken higher; these forms may rotate round a horizontal shaft 6; intheir operative position they are vertical, as shown for the forms 3 and4; the form 5 is shown as upset, viz. in the position given thereto atthe end of the operation, for removing the ice block formed therein. Y

VAt the top of the casing 1 is a duct 'l with several cocks such as 8disposed just over the forms.

f This duct is connected with a pumpS, driven by a motor (not shown) andfed with thebrine contained in the bottom of casing 1. The forms areclosed by caps 11 (the cap on form 5 is supposed to be removed), whichcaps are provided with flanges having apertures 13.

The working ofthe device is as follows:

4The bottom of casing 1 beingflled with brine cooled to a suitabletemperature, andthe coldproducing iiuid being set in motion in worm 2,the pump 9 is started. The brine is sent into duct '7 out of which itflowsthroughthe cocks 8. 1t falls on to the middle ofthe caps 11, out ofwhich it ows through apertures 13 over the side walls of the formsA.which are cooled not only through contact but also through the'evaporation of the brine streaming as a thin layer over a large area. Y

The brine falls again into the bottom of casing 1, after streaming overthe worm 2, or the upper tubes thereof if the lower tubes are immersedin the brine; the brine is thus cooled bythe worm. It may be suckedagain by the pump 9 for coolving again the forms.

Sometimes it may be of advantageto arrange a second worm between theduct 'land the top of the forms so that the brine maybe cooled by blockof ice, and after lifting of said block forn Fig. 1 showsdiagrammatically the whole ma-- passing over said worm justV before itstreams Y `condensation and stillmore the freezing of moisture insidethe pipes is thus avoided; on the other hand the air already cooledabandons only very `little heat during its passage through the forms.

The air is sent from the fan into the duct v16, provided with as manycocks 17 as there are forms, which latter are themselves provided withcocks 418- at their lower ends ;`cocks 17 and 18 are interconnectedthrough the flexible tubes 19 the length of `which is great Yenough toallow the forms to be pivoted round their axes and brought intotheposition illustrated for form 5. After:A

. having travelled through the water filling a form,

the air escapes through a vent 21 at-the top thereof.

As soon as the operation has begun and the4 brine streams over theforms, the fan 1 is started, andthe-threewaycocks 22 and 23 are actuatedso as to connect the fan with duct 16 whereby the. air is blown throughthe water to beV frozen.

Whenthe water is frozen, the pump 9 and fan 14 are stopped; Each formcontains an ice block 24, Vshowing at its bottom the usual centralhollow wherein the impurities of the water gather. The cocks 22 and 23are actuated so as to separate duct 16 from pipe 15 and to connect itwith the exhaust 25 through which the soiled water remaining in thehollows of the ice blocks is removed.

This being'done, the doors 26 of the casing 1 1 are opened, the formsare pivotedv (as shown for form 5) the ice block is freed through grav-`ity and can be easily removed and loaded on a car.

When all the forms have been emptied and the 1 caps replaced, the formsare set in their upright positions which requires only aslight effort;they are then filled again with pure water in order to make them readyfor another operation. To this effect the cocks 22 and r23 are againactuated l for separating duct 16 from'pipes 15 and 25 and connecting itwith tube 27 fed from the pure waA ter supply (not shown). Y 'Y It isAobvious that at the beginning of the fol-V lowing operation, the waterwill fill the duct 16 and part of the pipe 15, but the pressure of theair from the fanrlfl will drive it back into the forms.

Fig. 2

than Fig. 1 which with a view to a greater cleari? ness, is quitediagrammatical, how the casing 1 and its door 26 maybe arranged inpractice with a careful protection against external heat, the form 3being shown with its shaft around which the form is adapted to pivotwithout any difficulty. i

What I claim is: .Y Y Y 1. An ice machine comprising in combination .acasing the bottom of which is fluid-tight, forms disposed above saidbottomand flaring upwardli7 d for their normally vertical position, ahorizontal shaft disposed underneath the centers'of gravity of saidforms and to which'said forms are pivotally secured to allow theirrocking into a substantially horizontal positoma pipelying above theforms, l means for feeding the pipe with cold brine, means whereby saidbrine falls out of the pipe on to the forms and over same and'iscollected in the fluidtight bottom of the casing, means for cooling thebrine collected at the bottom of the casng,'means for returnng thecooled brine to the pipe-feeding means, means for filling the forms withWater, means for blowing air inside the form for stirring the water tobe frozen therein and means for removing the soiled unfrozen waterremaining in the central hollow of the frozen blocks formed in theforms.

2. In an ice machine as claimed in claim 1, means for controlling thefall of water out of the duct on to each form and a cap closing theupper larger end of each form and an apertured vertical flange raised onthe periphery of each form.

3. An ice machine comprising in combination a casing the bottom of whichis fluid-tight, forms disposed above said bottom and flaring upwardlyfor their normally vertical position, a horizontal shaft'disposedunderneath the centers of gravity of said forms and to which said formsare pivotally secured to allow their rocking into a substantiallyhorizontal position, a pipe lying above the forms, means for feeding thepipe with cold brine, means whereby said brine falls out of the pipe onto the forms and over same and is collected in the fluidtight bottom ofthe casing, a worm disposed at the bottom of the casing, means forfeeding said worm with cold-producing fluid, means for returning thecooled brine to the pipe-feeding means, means vfor filling the formswith water, means for blowing air inside the form for stirring the waterto be frozen therein and means for removing thel soiled unfrozen waterremaining in the central' hollow of the frozen blocks formed in theforms.

4. An ice machine comprising in combination a casing the bottom of whichis fluid-tight, forms disposed above said bottom and flaring upwardlyfor their normally vertical position, a horizontal shaft disposedunderneath the centers of gravity of said forms and to which said formsare pivotally secured to allow their rocking into a substantiallyhorizontal position; a pipe lying above theforms, means for feeding thepipe with cold brine, means whereby said brine falls out of the pipeonto the forms and over same and is collected in the fluidtight bottomof the casing, means for cooling the brine collected at the bottom ofthe casing, a pump, means for connecting the suction of said pump withthe bottom of the casing, means for connecting the exhaust of said pumpwith the pipe-feeding means, means for removing the soiled unfrozenwater remaining in the central hollow of the frozen blocks formed intheforms.

5. An ice machine comprising in combination a casing the bottom of whichis fluid-tight, forms disposed above said bottom and flaring upwardlyfor their normally vertical position, a horizontal shaft disposedunderneath the centers of gravity of said forms and to which said formsare pivotally secured to allow their rocking into a substantiallyhorizontal position; a pipe lying above the forms, means for feeding thepipe with cold brine, means whereby said brine falls out of the pipeonto the forms and over same and is collected in. the fluid tight bottomof the casing, means for cooling the brine collected at the bottom ofthe casing, a duct inside the casing lying substantially at the samelevel as the bottoms of the forms, a fan, means for feeding the fan withair from the casing, means for connecting the exhaust of the fan withthe duct, flexible means for connecting the duct with the bottoms of theforms, means for connecting the upper end of the forms with the insideof the casing, means for removing the soiled unfrozen water remaining inthe central hollow of the frozen blocks formed in the forms.

6. An ice machine comprising in combination a casing the bottom vofwhich is fluid-tight, forms disposed above said bottomand flaringupwardly for their normally vertical position, a horizontal shaftdisposed underneath the center of gravity of said forms and to whichsaid forms are pivotally secured to allow their rocking into asubstantially horizontal position; a pipe lying above the forms, meansfor feeding the pipe with cold brine, means whereby said brine falls outof the pipe onto the forms and over same and is collected in thefluidtight bottom of the casing, a worm disposed at the bottom of thecasing, means for feeding said worm with cold-producing fluid, a pump,means for connecting the suction of said pump with the bottom of thecasing, means for connecting the exhaust of said pump with thepipefeeding means, a duct inside the casing lying substantially at thesame level as the bottoms of the 105 forms, a fan, means for feeding thefan with air from the casing, means for connecting the exhaust of thefan with the duct, flexible means for connecting the duct with thebottoms of the forms, means forrconnecting thel upper end of thev formswith the inside of the casing, means for removing the soiled unfrozenwater remaining in the central hollow of the frozen blocks formed in theforms.

7. An ice machine comprising in combination a casing the bottom of whichis fluid-tight, forms disposed above said bottom and flaring upwardlyfor their normally vertical position, a horizontal shaft disposedunderneath the centers of gravity of said forms and to which said formsare pivotally secured to allow their rocking into a substantiallyhorizontal position; a pipe lying above the forms, means for feeding thepipe with cold brine, means whereby said brine falls out rof ther pipeonto the forms and over same and is collected' in the uidtight bottom ofthe casing, means for cooling the brine collected at the bottom of thecasing, a duct inside the casing lying substantially at the same levelas the bottom of the forms, a fan, means for feeding the fan with airfrom the casing, means for connecting the exhaust of the fan with theduct, flexible means for connecting the duct with the bottoms of theforms, means for connecting the upper end of the forms with the insideof the casing, means for removing the soiled unfrozen water remaining inthe central hollow of the frozen blocks formed inthe forms, and cockscontrolling the connection of the duct with the fan exhaust, with thesoiled water removing means and with the means for filling the formswith water.

REN vELUT.

